Something wonderful

The rodent

sticks her head out the hole

tastes the air with cherry tongue

buds and fish bone whiskers,

heaves her furred rump

against the pie crumbles of dirt

slides down soundlessly

when she sees the bizarre

formation outside her den.

I wait

tamper down my wet human breath

until I make -1 sounds

until I cannot hold my breath any longer.

This is not about a rodent.

This is about seeing a rodent

come out of the dark

at the shores of washed-up dawn

one step away.